Second Magic Antics I: Mahora Gakuen
by TheDilettante
Summary: Shirou and Rin tumble into Mahora abruptly. What happens now?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue is on my profile. There's more context if you read that first.**

* * *

It was dark, incredibly dark. Shirou couldn't see or hear anything. In fact, he wasn't able to sense anything at all. Perhaps the Wizard Marshall's idea would be the end of the couple's lives.

However, Shirou would come to realize how impatient he was the moment he and Rin landed on hard ground. The sudden sensation of the ground surprised him as he regained all his senses. He held his head in his hands as the wave of nausea passed through him.

* * *

Some time passed, but Shirou eventually got his bearings and was able to look at his surroundings.

The only evidence that the duo had travelled was that they weren't in the Clocktower. They were in a forest with tall pine and fir trees, the scent filling Shirou's nose. The sky was tinted with orange, with the sun setting...or rising. The magus had no idea whether this reality operated with the same rules as the one he came from. Amidst his pondering, the teenager scanned his immediate surroundings, noticing a dirt path.

Shirou guessed that the only thing he could do for now was to find someone or some place to help them. He looked down at Rin, who was unconscious.

"Well, I guess our adventure starts now. At least we were dropped somewhere peaceful it seems," Shirou mused as he picked up the Magus bridal-style and began walking in a direction on the dirt path.

* * *

Some time had passed, Shirou knew, but he still didn't know whether or not it was getting closer to morning or evening. He had been walking on the dirt road, his feet treading lightly on the path. Just as he had felt his arms becoming tired, he noticed a cottage coming into view.

It was well made, with two stories, a chimney, a warehouse, and even a small mailbox just outside of the residence.

Shirou slowed his pace, trying to lower the amount of sound he was making. It would do no good for him to alarm anybody, especially when he didn't know the capabilities of the Magi in this reality.

After climbing the stairs, the apprentice stood in front of the wooden door. As he knelt down to prop Rin up against the outside wall, the door opened. He froze, not knowing how to react. Slowly, he looked up.

There was a girl in front of him wearing a simple maid outfit. She had long green hair and blue eyes, to his chagrin. However, the most interesting thing he noticed, was the long metal sprouting from where her ears were. Was it cosplay?

"Hello, who are you? I have not seen you on campus before, are you new to Mahora Academy?" She asked.

So this was a school campus? Maybe this was a dorm. "Haha, yeah, I'm new here, and so is my friend. We were in an accident and she ended up hurting her head. I would've found a hospital, but since it seems to be getting late, I figured that walking all the way back would take too long. Could you help us?"

The girl glanced at Rin's motionless form against the wall. "I will have to ask my Master, but as long as she gives the order, I will do what I can."

"Thank you, I think all she needs is some rest."

The girl bowed and opened the door fully. "Please come in."

The interior of the cottage was just as beautiful as the exterior...if you liked dolls. There were mannequins, dolls and plushes covering the room from head to toe; the table, the walls, and almost all the sofa space was littered with dolls of the sort, ranging from animals to small children. Who was this Master?

As the maid walked up the stairs, presumably to call her Master, Shirou moved some of the dolls and placed Rin on the sofa. She lay there, breathing softly. The boy smiled and lightly caressed her cheek.

"I guess we got lucky with this one. Maybe we'll have a peaceful vacation," He whispered. Suddenly, the high-pitched sound of a young girl rang out.

"Who is it at this hour? I was napping." Shirou turned his head to the stairs and saw a different young girl descend the stairs, followed by the maid from before. The young girl was petite with blond hair and blue eyes. If it wasn't for her long hair, he would've thought that a shorter King of Camelot was in front of him. When she stopped in front of him and stared, Shirou noticed that she didn't seem to be as young as she looked. Her eyes were calculating, like many of the Magi he had interacted with. He realized that this person was not a young girl.

"Chachamaru here explained the gist, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth. Who are you?"

"My name is Shirou." He figured it was safe to give his given name.

"I didn't ask for the name of your pet. I asked for your name!" She was beginning to get annoyed, it seemed.

"Well, I'd tell you my real name, but I don't remember. I was involved in an accident that rendered me an amnesiac and an orphan." This appeared to get her attention, because her eyes softened a little.

"I...see. I can share the sentiments. I lived by myself for a while now." The blond had a melancholic look on her face, but it quickly disappeared. "I can let you stay the night."

"Let me take the girl to the spare room," Chachamaru said as she reached to lift Rin from the sofa.

As she got closer and closer, Shirou began to notice some things about her that he didn't see the first time he met her. Her skin was so sleek that it almost shined in the light. When he saw her eyes, Shirou thought he could see something that appeared to be...optics?

Shirou grabbed the girl's arm. "Who are you? What are you?" When he felt the cold metal instead of the warm flesh, he instinctvely channeled his Structural Analysis.

* * *

 _Satomi Hakase_

 _Chao Lingshen_

 _A laboratory_

 _Evangeline A.K. McDowell - my Master_

 _Magical energy combined with mechanical innovations in Android technology!_

 _"Who knew that magic existed?"_

 _"Hakase, I need as many of these androids you can make to be my servants."_

 _"I can do that, but how about this special model as well? I can configure it to be your personal maid!"_

* * *

Shirou grimaced in pain. The rush of memories was disorienting to him, seeing years of memories in less than a second, but he knew one thing for certain:

Chachamaru wasn't a human being.

"Ah, Master, I think he is a mage." Chachamaru displayed no outward surprise that he used magecraft. Did it exist here?

"Huh...I don't know who you think you are, but for mages to be so low as to try to attack me in my own home..." The blond, no, Evangeline, was starting to look less and less like a 10-year old girl. Shirou began to feel the room get colder and colder. Was it her? Her element must be Ice, or something similar.

At this moment it occurred to Shirou that he had appeared to be attacking the maid.

"This is a misunderstanding, I'm not a mage, but a magus." Despite his explanation, it appeared that Evangeline had no intention of stopping the cold.

"Magus, shamgus! It doesn't change the fact that you're here to try to kill me! No need to worry, just because I look like I'm a young girl doesn't mean that I'm unable to fight! **Lic Lac L-** "

" **By the Root what is happening here!?** " Everyone stopped and look at the sofa, to see Rin Tohsaka, her face red with anger and confusion.

* * *

Credits to hyperomegasonic6 for sharing many of his ideas with me.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you an idiot! What were you thinking, almost attacking the host of the house?!"

Rin's anger was evident, and she hit everyone's head with her hand (she grimaced after realizing that Chachamaru was a robot).

"Sorry, I just thought that they had bad intentions..." Shirou replied meekly, rubbing his forehead.

Evangeline cackled immediately. "Ha, you're so whipped boya!"

"Don't even get me started with you! That incantation seemed like it was going to unleash something large, that could've killed everyone here!" Rin fired back, pointing her finger at the girl.

"Ha? Why would my own spell backfire on me? Do you know how old I am?"

"You look like you're not even 10 years old!"

"Ah, Master," Chachamaru spoke.

"What? I'll have you know, that I'm more than 10 years old. I bet I'm even older than you!"

"Haha, you and your washboard of a chest appear to say otherwise."

"It's not my fault I'm stuck with this young body. That stupid curse..."

 **"Master."**

The two jumped, their verbal joust interrupted by Chachamaru's sudden increase in volume. "What, Chachamaru?"

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding from both sides, and we should clear this up as soon as possible."

"Yes, I agree, and I apologize for my actions." Shirou said, happy that a voice of reason finally appeared to diffuse the argument. This battle would have to resume another time.

"Hmph, I guess it would be better to settle things peacefully. I would like my house to remain standing for quite a while yet." Evangeline moved to the table and sat in one of the chairs, and the couple sat down after her.

"Tea, Master?" Chachamaru poured some tea into a cup.

"Ah, the Japanese have the best tea, don't they?" The young girl took a sip from the cup. "I can always appreciate a good green tea."

Rin stared at the tea for a moment, as if she realized something. "Why don't we have an exchange of information, since we are unknowns to you, and the both of you are unknowns to us."

Evangeline stared back and paused before taking another sip. "I would say yes, but this area is not part of my jurisdiction. I suppose you two won't mind if we keep certain information omitted until a formal meeting with the Dean can be arranged?"

So the Dean of this Mahora Academy was a mage too? What sort of school was this place?

Rin closed her eyes in thought for a moment, crossing her arms. "No, we don't mind. We would be more comfortable if more people are aware that we are here...where was this again?"

"Mahora Academy."

"Thanks...Karakuri-san?"

"Please, feel free to call me Chachamaru."

"I see, thank you, Chachamaru-san."

Evangeline looked at Shirou. "Since the boya here doesn't know who I am, I'll give a short introduction. I am Evangeline A.K. McDowell. This is my house, and Chachamaru here is my servant."

The vampire stood on the chair she was sitting on as she introduced herself. It seemed that she was very self-conscious about her appearance, perhaps her current form wasn't always what she had looked like in the past? Shirou took note of her blonde hair, almost the same color as Saber's. If she let her hair down, she could probably be an Evangeline McDowell, if this was her real form, that is. Her appearance reminded him of Saber, albeit more emotional.

Shirou was hit with a pang of sadness as he desired to see Saber again. Still, maybe this journey would lead him to her, someway or another.

"Rin Tohsaka."

"Shirou Emiya."

"Ah, so you two aren't new students here?" Chachamaru asked. "I didn't see any bags or anything that would signify a prospective student here."

"No, we aren't," Shirou replied. "I didn't know where we were so I had to take some precautions."

"At least you seem to be more right in the head than another certain mage I knew..." Evangeline muttered.

Rin opened her eyes. "We aren't Mages. We are Magi, practitioners of Magecraft."

"Really now, I thought the Magi died out long ago."

"Well, that's what we are, what did you expect?"

"I don't know, a bounty hunter here to kill me? I have a price on my head y'know?"

Shirou covered his face with his hands. How long would they keep doing this?

Just then, he felt his stomach growl. Maybe this would shut them up...

"Chachamaru-san, do you mind if I cook?" Shirou stood up unnoticed by the bickering.

"I do not, but I can cook for us," The robot replied.

"I insist, and I believe you will not regret this."

Chachamaru responded with a slight bow and walked towards the kitchen, Shirou following behind.

* * *

"How is this so good?" Evangeline mumbled with food shoved in her mouth.

Rin wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Shirou is the best cook I know. He's had a lot of practice."

Said chef chuckled. "Well, it kind of has to do with the fact that I'm a Magus. More of a third-rate one, but still."

"If you're a third-rate Magus, I wonder what a first-rate can do!" Evangeline replied.

"Shirou, you know how I don't like you saying that about yourself..." Rin put a hand on his shoulder.

Shirou took her hand in his. "But it's the truth. You're the real Magus here. I'm just a Faker. A lucky one."

They stared into each other eyes, only to be interrupted by an irate Evangeline.

"Stop flirting and give me my seconds!"

* * *

Shirou stirred from his sleep, waking up to see Rin next to him, breathing softly. He loved her sleeping face, so serene and beautiful. It was rather refreshing than the times where he made her blush. It was dawn, the rising sun was proof of that. It seemed that much of this world was similar to his own, at least, the physics of this world was. He had yet to see how the magic of this world operated, if there was a Gaia at all, for that matter. As he shifted on the bed, Shirou felt himself pulled back by Rin, who was still asleep. Still, he had to get up, so with those thoughts on his mind, Shirou managed to untangle himself from Rin and walk out of the spare room.

It was a rather abrupt setup, but Evangeline had only one guest room, so they had to make do with what they had. It wasn't as if he hadn't slept beside her before, but the Holy Grail War was a strenuous time for the both of them.

As he descended downstairs, he saw no one, assuming that Chachamaru was elsewhere and Evangeline was still asleep. When he walked outside he noticed the robot, watching the sunrise.

"Hello, Emiya-san," She said without looking at him. Now that he was able to see her more clearly, he found it amazing that she was running on magical power. The memories he had glimpsed showed that Chachamaru was a product of mechanical ingenuity as well as magical innovation. She was more akin to a sentient golem or a magical puppet rather than simply a robot.

"Good morning, Chachamaru-san," He replied. "The sunrise is beautiful this morning."

"I suppose it is. My AI is set up so that I may eventually think for myself, and through that, feel emotion. Seeing this sun rise above the horizon is interesting, but I do not know if I can say that I enjoy watching it," Chachamaru said.

Shirou chuckled. "If you come out to see it every morning, then you must like it. Nobody is forcing you to stare at the sky when the sun rises. Anyways, you don't mind if I meditate out here, right?"

"No, go ahead. You don't mind if I watch, do you?" She asked.

"Go ahead," Shirou moved to the front of the building, picked up a stray branch, and sat down, relaxing his body.

Shirou imagined the firing of a hammer of a gun, the strike stimulating his Magic Circuits.

Chachamaru shifted her attention to the magus, observing quietly.

* * *

"Wow, this place is gigantic," Shirou commented as he followed Evangeline and Chachamaru with Rin through the hallways of the school. Mahora Academy's size rivaled that of the Clocktower, and even then, Mahora City was large, boasting many different schools, residential facilities, and shopping centers.

Rin glanced at one of the many classrooms. "Is it a weekend or a holiday? I don't see any students or teachers."

"Yes, the both of you are lucky that it's the weekend or the Dean wouldn't have been able to have this meeting," The girl commented.

"Well, I think he would've still wanted to meet us regardless, if he knew where we came from," Rin muttered.

If Evangeline heard, she didn't reply.

The quartet soon stopped in front of a door. Chachamaru opened it and held it for the others to walk through, closing it behind her.

The office was quaint, with traditional Japanese decorations adorning the room. The Dean looked up at them. He appeared to be a very old man, with eyes that appeared to be closed, long eyebrows, a goatee, and a single ponytail of hair near the back of his head. Next to him was a younger man, one with glasses, a suit and tie, and slicked-back hair.

"Ohohoho! It looks like our guests have arrived!" The Dean spoke jovially. "Sit down, sit down, make yourselves comfortable!"

Evangeline and Chachamaru moved to the side while Rin and Shirou took their seats.

"Well, let's have a discussion, shall we?" The Dean said, opening one of his eyes.

* * *

"Hmm...from my memory, most of the Magi in the past have died out, and I don't recognize the Tohsaka Family or the Emiya Family," The Dean pondered, stroking his beard.

The younger man, who had introduced himself as Takamichi Takahata, spoke up. "It's not that we don't believe you, but your story seems a bit farfetched considering what had happened in the past."

"Old man, these people may be the real deal. I saw some of it myself along with Chachamaru here," Evangeline remarked.

"That may be so, but there have been no reports of any Magi within the magical community for centuries, save for the cultists that emerged," The Dean replied.

Shirou noticed that Rin's fists were clenched. She must've been growing frustrated. "Have you heard of the name Schweinorg? Or Kaleidoscope?"

The Dean stopped stroking his facial hair and turned his head in Rin's direction. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. Kaleidoscope. There were some records of a man who could seemingly jump through dimensions, but it's been said to have been legend."

"Are you sure?"

Shirou quickly noticed that Takahata was on edge, both of the Dean's eyes had opened, and Evangeline was staring at something in shock. He slowly turned to see the one who had sent them through realities with a smirk on his face.

"Greetings, I'm Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, otherwise known as Kaleidoscope, and I'm here to introduce my assistants to you."

Meanwhile, Rin had her face in her hands, unwilling to turn around.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why are you here so early?!" Evangeline yelled. "It's like we jumped to the final boss of a Final Fantasy game at level 1! You even look the part too!"

The Wizard Marshall stared at Evangeline. "Ah, so you're a Shinso vampire. One of the true ones, correct? It's been a while since I've seen one save for Arcueid Brunestud. It's strange that you do not have red eyes, however."

"Aren't you one too? Your eyes are red, and you look old beyond your years!" The newly-named vampire retorted.

"Hey, I'm not that old!" The Magus stopped. "Hold that thought. I'm not a true vampire, though. I had the unfortunate, or fortunate, depending on the point of view, past of being turned into a Dead Apostle."

The Dean decided to add his two cents. "Do you regret the fact that you are basically immortal? From one old man to another, hohohoho!"

"Compared to me, you're just a youngster, but I can see why you'd ask that question. It's been many years since my transformation, but since I've realized the Kaleidoscope, life hasn't turned out to be too boring. Now that I have these guinea pigs things will become more interesting!"

Zelretch had a twinkle in his eye, which was never good.

"Umm...Wizard Marshall, could we perhaps get on the the reason why you suddenly appeared to us? I mean, it's not that we don't appreciate you coming here to prove our claims, but it feels too early for you to intervene." Rin had gotten over her initial shock and rejoined the conversation.

Zelretch responded in glee. "Well, this is a first for the Magi and the Mages. I thought I would be here as a representative to...negotiate an exchange."

"An exchange, you say?" Takahata said.

"Yes, it's quite simple," The Dead Apostle pointed to the couple. "I'll let you borrow these two for whatever you need in the school, and you'll teach them some of your magic."

The Dean sat in thought. "It is true that there is a need for a security guard at this school. Some of the students can get into a lot of horseplay outside of school. In a couple of weeks we will also be having a new teacher, Tohsaka-san can act as an assistant then when Takamichi-kun switches classes."

"How convenient! What sort of magic does this world have?" The Marshall exclaimed. "The anticipation is killing me!"

Shirou realized that he was now going to be a subordinate of a School Dean while being a "lab rat" of the Marshall. 'Just how convoluted will my role become?'

* * *

"I see, the magic here is very similar to our magecraft. It's a pity that the Magi have died off. I would've liked to have seen their progress." Zelretch said. "What interests me the most is this Pactio that you mentioned."

"Oh? And why's that?" The Dean asked.

The Wizard Marshall glanced at Shirou. "I'd like to see what would happen if a Magi attempts a Pactio with another one."

"Do you mean, Rin and me, sir?" Shirou asked nervously.

"Of course you! There's no other magi in here besides me, right? If this Pactio does what I think it does. It may unlock your full potential, and using your Magic Circuits should be much easier." Zelretch exclaimed.

"It does seem like a good idea, Shirou," Rin suggested. "I'm the back line, and you're the front, generally speaking, and this Pactio will help you immensely. Who knows what artifact you will get too?"

"Well, whenever you're ready, boya, I've already drawn the circle out. This'll probably be the best entertainment I've had in a while so hurry up and make a choice!" Evangeline cackled.

Shirou had good reason to be a little hesitant about making a provisional contract with Rin. He had experienced excruciating pain when he had been converting his nerves into individual circuits, and learning how to use his own Magic Circuits almost killed him. However, having the ability to use his Magic Circuits to their full potential would be a boon for him, allowing him to Project more and maybe even use his Reality Marble more extensively when he needed.

He had decided.

"Ok, let's do this," Shirou walked into the circle. It had two six-sided stars with Greek zodiac symbols on the edge. The center had a single eye staring up at him.

Rin walked up next, her face already blushing crimson. "I still can't believe that we have to do this with all these people watching us...you ready?"

Shirou thought he could see Evangeline and Zelretch take out cameras. "As ready as I can be."

"Brace yourself," Rin cupped his face and brought it down towards her, locking their lips together.

Shirou could feel his body getting hotter, and the area around the circle getting brighter and brighter. Her lips tasted faintly of strawberries and were warm. Rin had her eyes closed, so she could not see the intensifying light that surrounded them. Just when the magus wondered what was happening next he started convulsing as if he was being electrocuted. Not only that, he started to feel extreme pain throughout his body. Meanwhile, Rin moved her hands to hug Shirou and limit his movements. The light became so bright that Shirou was blinded for a few moments. As sudden as it came, the light disappeared, leaving only the people and the circle, with one additional object in Zelretch's hand.

"Hey, look at this! This appears to be rather peculiar," He pointed to the card, which appeared to be plain with one symbol: Rin's Command Seals.

"Why...would...that appear now?" Shirou, still winded from the ordeal, stood up with Rin supporting him.

The Dean focused on the card. "I've never seen a Pactio card look like that before. Typically the Ministra would appear on the card with their specialized artifact. Does that symbol have any meaning?"

All eyes turned to the couple. "It's a long story, but basically, that symbol is a set of three seals associated with a...familiar," Rin finally said.

"I see, Schweinorg-san, could I see the card? I will make copies so that the two can have a copy," The Dean asked.

Moments later, the single card became two. Shirou took a moment to look at the card more closely. The short weeks of the Holy Grail War were exciting to say the least. He was able to learn more about himself and Magecraft than his time with Kiritsugu, despite all the things he's taught him. His only regret that he had was that he wasn't able to inherit his Magic Crest. With no one to pass it onto, the Emiya family would only remain through name.

"So how do I access the artifact?" Shirou asked, flipping the card around.

Rin's brow furrowed. "Shirou, are you sure you should be doing this right now? You're about to fall over!"

"If it's to simply summon the artifact, it shouldn't be too taxing on me," The magus turned towards the mage.

The Dean chuckled. "Typically the Ministra would say Adeat to summon the artifact and Abeat to revert it to its card form, but I don't know how it will interact with your artifact since we do not even know what it is."

The Wizard Marshall chortled. "There's a first time for everything, go for it boy! I want to see it!"

Shirou stated his card again, wondering why Rin's Command Seals were on it.

Evangeline stood as far away as she could. "Chachamaru, get your emergency shields ready, I don't want to be in the crossfire if there's a complication."

"Yes, Master."

"Adeat."

Shirou's card began to glow red, and then he suddenly disappeared.

* * *

 ** _I am the bone of my sword_**

 ** _Steel is my body and fire is my blood_**

 ** _I have created over a thousand blades_**

 ** _Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain._**

 ** _Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival_**

 ** _I have no regrets. This is the only path_**

 ** _My whole life was unlimited blade works_**

* * *

Shirou knew where he was without even opening his eyes. When he finally did, he was greeted with a barren landscape filled with weapons. There was twilight bathing the area. This was his Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works. Something was amiss, however, since he did not summon it at all. What pulled him here?

"I see you've arrived," A certain voice quipped.

Shirou spun around and saw the one person that had been beside them alongside Saber: Archer, donning his red cloak and black body armor.

He wasn't a Heroic Spirit in the true sense of the word. In fact, Archer is most likely the most modern spirits within the Throne of Heroes. He is a Counter Guardian who keeps the balance. The most surprising fact was that Archer is, indeed, Shirou Emiya, but from a possible future, where his ideals collapsed on themselves from his time as a Counter Guardian.

His Reality Marble is different as well, while Shirou's is lit with a twilight glow Archer's is covered in embers and black smog.

"Archer? Why am I here?"

"You activated your card didn't you? Since your existence is much different from typical mages of that reality, your artifact is very different as well. You haven't really changed much have you? Well, save for your skin tone and hair. Nice touch," Archer remarked. "Anyways, Alaya has tasked me with giving you your artifact, against my wishes, so I might as well reward you for your efforts. That pain must've felt lovely, huh?"

Shirou grit his teeth, slightly annoyed. "Fine, what is it?"

"Don't be in such a hurry. We'll get there. First thing, your Reality Marble seems to be a bit empty. Let's invite some neighbors," Archer walked over and placed his hand over Shirou's head.

 _ **So as I pray, unlimited blade works.**_

"Ow!" Shirou held his head. "What happened?"

"Nothing much. I've just embedded most of my knowledge of weapons into your head. You won't immediately know them all, so take some time to go through them," Archer smirked. "The pain will be worth it, and besides, I don't know if we'll meet again like this, I always seem to lose my memory when I'm summoned in a Grail War."

"Alright, I see your point, but an artifact isn't an artifact without an item. What is it?" Shirou argued.

"Impatient, huh? Alright, here it is," Archer pulled out a copy of his cloak and armor.

"Why are you giving this to me? This is yours," The young magus said as he took the armor into his arms.

"This armor may look like mine, but it is arguably better. Alaya gave this armor a reflection of my own Personal Skills. So aspects like Clairvoyance would be applied to the wearer - you. Not only that, but your stats should go up by half a rank," Archer explained tiredly.

"I see, this will give me such an advantage, now that my Magic Circuits are at their full potential. Thank you, Archer," Shirou said.

Archer shook his head. "Don't thank me, just keep your Rin safe."

Shirou nodded. "How exactly do I get back though?"

Archer smirked. "Didn't you already learn how to use your Pactio card?"

* * *

Shirou reappeared in a flash, landing on his backside.

"Shirou, what happened? You suddenly disappeared and now you're back!" Rin rushed over to him, checking his body.

"I'm fine, actually. My body has never felt better, for some odd reason," he replied as he stood up. "How long was I gone?"

"10 seconds, Shirou-san," Chachamaru replied, revealing the vampire behind her.

"At least there were no explosions."

Zelretch had a gleam in his eye. "Boy, I think you should check your card again."

"Why? What's on there?" Shirou flipped the card over to see that it had changed. Rin's Command Seals were still on there, but Archer was depicted on the card, poised for battle with Kanshou and Bakuya, the twin swords that he had often used. There was also some text on the card.

 _EMIYA_  
 _Tradidit Heros_  
 _Curatrix Arma_

"How interesting, the card's face has changed. I've never seen this before, for the only time that the face changes is when the provisional contract is cancelled or the Magister dies," The Dean sat, shocked about the course of events.

"I've been waiting too long for this. I want to see what your artifact is!" The Wizard Marshall shouted.

Shirou quickly activated the card before Zelretch could say another word. His current clothing was quickly replaced with the new armor that fitted him well. It was snug and somewhat comfortable.

"That's...Archer's armor!" Rin exclaimed.

The Wizard Marshall walked to Shirou and peered closely at the armor. "It appears this armor is exuding an aura of some kind that increases its wearer's capabilities. Whose armor did you say it was again?"

"It was Archer's...Rin's familiar," The armored magus replied.

"Oh you mean her Servant?" Zelretch said.

"Servant? I thought Archer was her familiar," Evangeline commented, having relocated herself closer to the group.

"Not that kind of servant, but a being summoned from the Holy Grail. Let me tell you a story about the Grail Wars..."

* * *

 **Pactio Artifact - Shirou Emiya - Curatrix Arma (Guardian's Armor)**

 **It is a replica of EMIYA's armor that grants some Personal Skills to its wearer and increase their stats by half a rank.**

 **Personal Skills**

 **Eye of the Mind (True) (B):** **Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.**

 **Magecraft (C-): Capable of using orthodox Thaumaturgy. When the target falls under the category of "sword" the rank is A+.**

 **Magic Resistance (D): Cancels Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy.**

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	4. protect

I don't own Negima and the Fate series. They belong to their respective owners. You'll also figure out why I'm calling this an AU.

* * *

He could see a vast field filled with corpses. Men, women, children, even mythic creatures lay there, their eyes glassy with death. The sky was dark, clouds obscuring the moon that loomed over like an omen of what was to come. He stood up and began to walk, looking for anybody that had survived. Countless of nameless faces later, he stumbled upon something that he didn't want to see.

Three girls lay before him. One with purple hair, the other with black hair, and the other was a blonde.

He thought they looked peaceful, lying there, if it wasn't for the cuts, scrapes, and holes in their bodies. He still felt nothing, although he could feel anger setting in. Who did this? As he moved his hands to touch Saber's face, he noticed a single drop fall from his hands and stain her face.

His hands were red with the same blood that had belonged to the people, the monsters, and his loved ones.

He _killed_ them.

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

He began breathing more rapidly and hoarsely, wiping his hands on his body, only to see that they were just as crimson as they were before. It was like paint that wouldn't come off; a reminder of his sins. Tears rushing down like rivulets, he bolted from the bodies, searching for anything that could help him. He felt a headache set in, and single word beat throbs of pain.

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

There was a light in the distance. The white-haired man scrambled for it, getting back up when he tripped over a child. Maybe it could save him, free him of his guilt.

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

It turned out to be a patch of land that the clouds didn't cover. It was like they were avoiding that area. The moonlight illuminated the area, and its touch was inviting to Shirou's eyes.

 **Protect.**

 **Protect.**

He stumbled after noticing all the blood on himself. It wasn't just his hands, but his face, his body, his hair, his clothes. He even tasted it in his mouth.

 **Protect.**

The source of the light was finally in view. It was a sword. No, it wouldn't be prudent to call it simply a sword. It was a Sword, perhaps the most beautiful one he had ever had the chance to lay eyes on. It was stuck within a boulder with only the guard, grip, and pommel visible.

 **Protect.**

He laughed bitterly. He knew what the Sword was before even laying eyes on it.

 _ **Excalibur.**_

Arrving at the boulder, he took hold of the grip. How ironic this moment was. This sword proclaimed her as King, but now, he couldn't even be called a Sword, an Ally of Justice.

 **Protect.**

Unsurprisingly, he was able to free the sword from the rock. Holding it in one hand, he knew what he had to do.

 **Protect.**

Kill one to save the few. Kill one hundred to save one thousand. It was the creed that he lived by and what Kiritsugu had lived by. But now, he couldn't help but feel some hesitation.

 **Protect.**

Struggling to take a breath, Shirou closed his eyes and began to focus.

 _Trace on._

This was probably the most difficult moment of his life. Shirou felt the object within slowly leave him. When he opened his eyes, the sole object that had started everything was in his hand - Avalon.

Propping it against the rock, Shirou sat down on the ground, progressively feeling weaker and weaker.

He knew what he had to do.

 **Protect.**

Sword over heart.

 **Protect.**

 ** _I am the bone of my sword._**

Pain blossomed in his left side, but this time, Avalon wouldn't be there to help him.

 **Protect.**

Even if he was made of swords, it would be alright.

 **Protect.**

* * *

Sorry for the short piece after such a long hiatus, but I thought I should get this out ASAP for those who are still interested in this story. I expect to have at least one more chapter pumped out before my Thanksgiving break is over.

Thank you to those who have still stuck with me, and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!


	5. Chapter 4

**Back again. The interlude before this chapter leads into this one. Expect some more updates this week, but the wait will probably be longer after my break.**

* * *

Shirou sprung awake, sweating and gasping. Looking around, he noticed Rin next to him, breathing softly. Light was shining through the window in the room, but when he looked outside, all he could see was a blue sky. He remembered where he was - Evangeline's Resort.

After a long-winded discussion with the Dean and the Wizard Marshall, arrangements were made rather quickly. Rin would be the Assistant Teacher for a Negi Springfield that would arrive on campus soon. The mage-in-training would need a lot of help with the assigned class that he had, in Takahata-sensei's words.

Shirou's position took a bit more time, but they decided to implement him as a security guard. The white-haired man quickly agreed. He could've been something like a janitor, but it would be difficult to stick to the class if they went on field trips outside of school. The Dean had mentioned some problems with another faction of mages, so they took some precaution. Since his granddaughter was in class 2A, he wanted Shirou to look out particularly for that group.

"Ah, Shirou-chama!" He felt something land on his head before seeing a green-haired doll appear in his vision.

He smiled. "Hello there Zero-chan, how are you?"

Shirou had met Chachazero rather abruptly after moving in with Evangeline. The doll had tried to attack him, but he managed to parry all the attacks with his blades. After that, she had latched onto him, interested in all the different kinds of sword he could produce. Although she was rather vibrant around him, the animated golem didn't seem to like Rin...

"Ugh, what are you doing here, Doll?" Rin groggily muttered as she got up from the bed. "Don't you have better things to do than bother Shirou?"

"Oh yeah, Evangeline says that you have to get ready for more sparring," Chachazero remarked as she flew off his head. "I'm so excited to see you fight again!"

As she floated away, Shirou felt that he had to stop her without saying one last thing. "Please don't try to scare Rin again, Zero-chan."

"Aww..."

Rin followed Chachazero until she had left the room. "That doll is still creepy, no matter how many times I see it."

"She's just a little..."

"A little what?"

"...overbearing."

"If you say so," Rin noticed the look on Shirou's face. "What's wrong Shirou, you're looking so focused this morning."

"I had those dreams again."

She frowned. "Shirou, you do know that's not you, right?"

"Still, he **IS** me, or what will be me," Shirou turned away from her, ashamed of his future self's actions.

Rin stepped up and spun him around, bringing her face close to his own. "You are not him! He's made choices in his life that have turned out to be horrible for him, but you haven't made those choices yet," She continued, "You even have Saber by your side."

Shirou reached and clasped his chest, remembering the most vivid events of the Grail War.

"Shirou, look at me," Rin crossed her arms and had a blush. "D-don't think I forgot about Saber, alright? I-I'll do what I can so that we can see her again. I believe the key is in those Pactio cards."

He turned to the nightstand, where the only magical evidence of his connection to Archer was sitting. It was rather disorienting, learning about the differences between magecraft and magic here. Since his latent circuits were also unlocked, Shirou had more opportunities to learn about the concepts that he wasn't able to grasp before. Evangeline had also mentioned learning about magic, something about elemental affinities.

"Anyways, Shirou," He turned back to Rin, who was in the same spot as before. "Wasn't that an opportunity to kiss me?"

"Ha?" The faker didn't have that thought going through his mind at the time. "When?"

Rin sighed and shook her head. "Even after all this time you still can't read the mood...I guess it was my fault for thinking that you had changed."

"Ano, Rin?" Before Shirou could get a word in, Rin had already taken his head and brought it down to hers in a liplock. It was a chaste kiss, but even Shirou could feel the affection and intent behind it.

"Good morning, Shirou-kun," Rin smirked cheekily as she skipped out the door.

* * *

"Well boya, are you ready for another fight?" Evangeline yelled from her position on the field.

Shirou was almost ecstatic when he had learned about this resort that Evangeline owned. One day in the resort was only an hour outside? Think of the amount of training that he could do! Still, he had to really focus on his Reality Marble most of the time, since Archer's sudden knowledge transfer took time to fully siphon through. He still wasn't done with cataloguing all of the weapons yet, but there were so many new things he had learned about himself and his own Reality Marble.

"Yes, I am," Shirou replied. Rin was sitting to the side of the battlefield with Chachamaru and Chachazero, holding a magical text.

Rin was rather excited because of her own Pactio she had received from the Dean. Of course, she didn't kiss him, but instead, a blood ritual was used. Although it was arguably just as effective, Rin did not want to think about the alternative. Zelretch had also given the two "secret" gifts. Rin's was a blueprint that was part of another set of blueprints given to the Tohsaka family by the Wizard Marshall generations ago. This last part would be the key to its completion, but she would need to create it herself, hence the fervent research.

Shirou's gift? That would be a story for another time. However, the Dean was rather insistent on the rituals so that communication would be more smoother between them. The Wizard Marshall pointed out the potential for a second artifact for Shirou, and one for Rin as well.

"Alright then," Evangeline disappeared from view, only to reappear behind Shirou. "Lesson One: Close Combat!"

"Adeat," Shirou countered the vampire's swipe with her **Ensis Exsequens** with the married blades, Archer's armor already equipped. He jumped forwards and spun around in a stance that showed nothing, revealed nothing.

Evangeline smirked. "I still can't get enough of that fighting style. What kind of idiot was your future self to make such a unrefined and flawed style?"

She disappeared again, but Shirou didn't panic. He would only have to wait for her to come to him.

A stab from the left, a swipe from the right. Shirou continued to parry off and dodge strikes by a hair.

The faker knew that most of his opponents would be stronger than him. Even with his power boost, most of the opponents would be leagues above him. Just because he wasn't strong though, doesn't mean that he isn't skillful. Thus, the most logical decision was realized: If you can isolate any attack to a single point, then it is possible to defend that spot only and counterattack. EMIYA's decision to use a dual-sword style focused on baiting the opponent was perhaps the most safest choice he could've made, since his role as a Counter Guardian was extremely deadly.

With Archer's cloak billowing behind him, Shirou began to fight back. He opted to use a single sword to defend while attacking with the other. However, this was to limited success, as Evangeline was too fast for him to hit.

"If anything, you can defend well, but how will you defeat an opponent if you only defend?" Evangeline remarked, her voice reverberating around him.

Was it time to change it up? Shirou breathed in.

 **Trace on.**

Shirou dashed backwards, his legs strengthened with Reinforcement. He immediately threw the married swords at Evangeline at a high speeds. Perhaps it was his Luck, but instead of dodging she opted to deflect the swords, but at that moment, Shirou had already closed in on her. Tracing another pair, he slashed at her four times. They were all parried, but she failed to notice the swords that were flying back towards her. They were lodged within her, making her cry out. Shirou traced again, but these swords were different. They were Kanshou and Bakuya, but they were longer, more jagged. He finished his attack with a cross-slash.

 **"Kakuyoku Sanren,"** Shirou muttered. Evangeline was still kneeling on the ground, appearing to be in pain from the attack.

She stood up. Of course, an attack like that wouldn't be enough to take out the dark Evangel.

"Ah, that was a nice attack, it probably would've killed me if I wasn't what I am," All traces of the attack were gone due to her regeneration. "I should stop trying to defend and just dodge."

The married swords, **Kanshou and Bakuya** , had a special characteristic that made them stand out from other Noble Phantasms. These swords were able to attract each other - white to black, and black to white. Combined with the ability to project copies of the twin blades, Shirou was able to pull off moves that weren't normally possible.

"I'll take any advantages I can get, Evangeline," He replied. "Long range is next, right?"

"Yeah, just don't use other artifact you have," Evangeline pouted. "You almost destroyed my resort last time!"

Shirou laughed nervously. "And I'm sorry about that.."

"Shirou, you don't have much self control in battle, do you?" Rin called out, turning pages in her book.

"Master, I have recordings of that particular fight if you would like to see it again," Chachamaru said, taking out a disc from her pockets.

"There were lots of explosions!" Chachazero chimed in. "I loved that!"

The vampiress turned red. "I told you not to take that out! I'm just using that disc for research, that's all. It's to make sure I know how to counter that move for the future...And shut your mouth Chachazero!"

Rin snickered. "It's ok Evangeline-chan, Shirou is pretty impressive when he fights."

"Geh! What are you talking about!?"

* * *

 **Lesson 2: Long Range**

"Trace Bullet: Continuous Fire."

"That ability is so annoying! Just how well can you see from over there?"

"Whee!"

* * *

 **Lesson 3: 1 v 2**

"Master, I think that sword is Durandal."

"Oi Shirou! Don't destroy my resort!"

"How do you expect me to beat a robot and a vampire? My fists?"

"What if I said yes!?"

"Go Shirou-chama!"

* * *

 **Lesson 4: Teamwork.**

Shirou and Rin stood in position, with the faker at the front and the other one standing behind him.

"Listen, for a Magistra and a Minister, it's the fighter's job to distract the enemy while the mage fires the more powerful spells, alright?" Evangeline explained, floating behind Chachamaru, who was in a ready stance.

"Ano...I think both of us are capable enough to destroy cities if we had to..." Rin remarked.

"Well, you're not mages, right!? You're magi. Why do you have to be so destructive anyway? That's my job!" The vampire fired back. "Anyways, get ready!"

Shirou already had his armor up, so Rin was the only one who needed to summon her artifact.

The black-haired girl held up her card, which read:

 _Rin Tosaca_  
 _Ambitiosus Discipulus_  
 _Virga Gemma_

"Adeat," Rin held up her artifact, a wand with a jewel heart at the tip, surrounded by a circle of gold. Her artifact appeared to be rather tame compared to other artifacts, according to Evangeline, but that was because Rin didn't want to set a different outfit whenever she summoned the wand.

She had said, "I'm not some magical girl!"

"Ready Shirou-kun?" Rin asked, her body lighting up as she activated her Magic Circuits.

The white-haired magus crouched down, Kanshou and Bakuya already in his hands. "Yeah, whenever you're ready."

"Chachamaru, go."

"Yes master."

Without warning the gynoid rushed up to take down Rin, who had been channeling her prana. Shirou intercepted her before she could make her mark, delivering decisive strikes against her. Chachmaru easily brushed off all the attacks, her CPU moving at speeds higher than Shirou's reaction times. However this didn't mean that she was able to progress. A stalemate occurred for a while. When one slash was deflected, another was in its place. If a sword was broken, another one immediately appeared. But some blows were exchanged. A punch to the abdomen, a strike to the arm. Both fighters jumped back to reassess the situation when everyone noticed Evangeline poised with her own flurry of spells.

 **"Lic Lac La Lac Lilac, Sagitta Magica, series glacius!"** Evangeline fired ice arrows into the air, their number too many for Shirou to count.

"I got this!" Rin swept her wand, the jewel lighting up.

 _ **"Spells loaded...spells released,"**_ A voice intoned as volleys of fire arrows were cast to match Evangeline's attack.

What did Rin's artifact allow her to do? Not only does her wand act as a focus for magic spells, but the wand is also capable of loading spells for use later, not unlike her jewelcraft. Thus, she is able to bypass the casting time that many mages face. Rin smirked at her magical prowess, only to frown at the approaching robot maid.

Rin jumped backwards, dodging Chachamaru's jabs and kicks. "Shirou! What are you doing? You can't just leave me alone against her!" Rin yelled as she fired Gandr shots to keep the gynoid at bay. Any shots that the gynoid deflected hit the ground, creating explosions from the impact. One lucky shot from the magus hit her in the face, distracting her long enough for Shirou to catch up with Shundo.

"Sorry! Are you spells loaded yet?" Shirou dashed around Chachamaru, combining Reinforcement and Shundo allowed him to go even faster.

"No, you dummy! Why do you think I haven't done anything else yet?" Rin yelled back. **"Sagitta Magica, series elementa!"** It was a pity that there was a cooldown for firing specific spells again, but her wand was also a focus for her spells.

Chachamaru stopped her defense against Shirou and jumped up in the air, using her jetpacks as propulsion. "Master, should I use supporting fire?"

"Go ahead Chachamaru," Evangeline stopped her barrage and began to incant.

Chachamaru pointed her arms at the duo, weapons upon weapons appearing from crevices in her body. _**"Loading...fire."**_ A burst of fire erupted as missiles and bullets shot straight towards the magi.

"Shirou! She's preparing a powerful spell!" Rin called out, as she intercepted the shots. **"Deflexio!"** The barrier acted as a wall so that none of them were hit.

 ** _"Spells loaded."_**

Shirou yelled back. "Give them all that you got! I need a moment." He breathed in.

 _ **I am the bone of my sword.**_

A bow materialized into his hands, a western-style straight bow. Although he practiced with the Japanese-style of archery, his Tracing allowed him to use the weapon with the same proficiency as its owner - **EMIYA.**

Rin fired spell after spell, attempting to force the puppet and puppetmaster to dodge her attacks. Her versatility with her arrows were to be praised - she was able to manipulate her spells so that certain fire arrows were more dense than others, stopping missiles that would otherwise hit them.

Pulling the bowstring back, Shirou traced a nameless sword and began pouring his prana into it, overloading it with energy. The sword shifted into a shade of its original identity, becoming a Broken Phantasm. Although EMIYA was able to do the same for Noble Phantasms, it would require immense amounts of energy that Shirou wasn't able to use as he pleased, even with his latent magic circuits unlocked. However, he had no trouble creating nameless Broken Phantasms.

Rin stopped casting her spells, but she was alarmed when Chachamaru stopped firing. "Shirou, do it now!"

Shirou focused. It was always more difficult for him to make a Broken Phantasm for the first time before making copy after copy.

With the crack of the hammer of a gun, Shirou began to shoot arrow after arrow, sword after sword. Each one that left the bow hit the duo, exploding on impact. Shirou stopped. Why hadn't they responded? It was then he heard the laughs.

No, it wouldn't be proper to call them laughs. They were cackles filled with **malice** and **bloodthirst** ; an omen of what was to come. The smoke revealed Chachamaru, who was a bit scuffed, and Evangeline, whose eyes were as dark as they were cold.

 **"Gelidus Capulus!"**

Ice rose up from the ground and encased the two within a pillar of ice, bringing the fight to a complete standstill. A moment of silence passed before Chachmaru spoke. "Master, I think you went a little overboard."

Evangeline, who had calmed down, looked to the massive glacier that had appeared from the ground. "Maybe I did...but Emiya deserves it, trying to hit me with those arrows of his."

* * *

"Achoo!" Rin shivered under her blankets near the fire. "Why did you have to put us in that ice pillar? I can't even feel my toes."

Shirou passed the girl a tissue, grabbing one for himself. "I guess Evangeline-san got a little too excited."

Said vampire blushed. "Well, I don't get to fight people that often, most of them die anyways!"

"And that's supposed to make us feel better?"

"You didn't die, did you?"

"Maybe from frostbite!"

"...Ok, perhaps I did get a bit carried away," Evangeline muttered. "Anyways, the old man wants to see the two of you. Something about a new teacher."

Rin got up, folding the blankets to one side. "Maybe it's that teacher I'm supposed to assist. Let's go Shirou."

The two got up to leave, but Evangeline stopped them. "Wait!"

They heard a stomach grumble, and they turned around. Evangeline's face was red.

"Where's my lunch? I thought you promised you would make lunches."

* * *

 **Thanks for sticking around. Maybe there will be some plot advancement in the next chapter :P**


	6. Chapter 5

**As promised, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Shirou and Rin stepped out of the cottage and began to walk down the dirt road back to the main campus of Mahora. It wasn't a very cloudy day, but fluffy white patches loomed over them, the sun shining through the trees. However, this scene evoked a certain memory from Shirou.

"Rin, do you remember that time during the war, when you tried to kill me?" Shirou said, making Rin stumble from the sudden question.

"Wait, why would you bring that up now?" She replied. "I don't think that wasn't exactly a good moment for the both of us."

Shirou recalled the fight, if you could call it that. He remembered running from her Gandr shots like a madman, hopping down stairs within their own school just to get away from her. Rin's Magic Crest shone brilliantly then, evidence of her ability as a magus. The claustrophobic moment when Rin set a bounded field within a classroom that he had escaped to. Reinforcing a desk just to survive the barrage of curse shots. Fighting Rider on his own.

Actually, in hindsight, insulting Rider's prowess as a Servant was probably not the best idea at the time. His only weapon was a metal leg from a desk that had been destroyed by one of Rin's Gandr shots. He probably shouldn't have tried to fight her with one good arm either.

"No, I think it was," Shirou continued. "Remember bandaging my arm?"

Rin chuckled. "That I do. You even wanted to fight again after all that. You even had the perfect opening too, since I was vulnerable on the ground."

Shirou stopped walking, looking at the trees surrounding them. "I think at that moment our relationship changed, but it's as you said, Rin. I thought you had actually wanted to kill me. You fired hundreds of curses at me at the time."

Rin halted. Even now, when Shirou says things like that to her, it reminds her of the impact of her choice that day. "I-I was just fulfilling a debt you know! You protected me from Rider's attack that would've killed me, so I couldn't repay you with your own death!" She huffed, turned around, and took hold of Shirou's hand.

"Rin?" Shirou asked. "Are you okay?" He was startled by her sudden action, although he did welcome it.

Rin lowered her eyebrows as she stared at him. "Why, you don't want to hold my hand?"

"It's not that, but you don't typically do this, that's all." Rin conceded that point. It took a lot of effort to show her affection and care to Shirou, but she thought that she was doing alright.

"Well Shirou, we have to cherish these moments we have by ourselves. I have a feeling that these peaceful days will be the last ones we'll have for a while."

The two moved, hand in hand, with companionable silence. Although the magi do walk with death, these partners will protect each other always. After all, they only had each other.

* * *

"Oh ho ho ho! Welcome back, both of you. Have a seat!" The Dean, looking as spry as ever, waved them to a couch next to his desk. "The new teacher should be here soon. Today is one of those days after all. I'm glad that Takahata-kun had a chance to remind me before waiting for him. Who knows how I would've reacted to a sudden new teacher?" As he said this, the screams and laughter of students could be heard, emphasizing the importance of this day.

"Shirou and I also had days like these, back when we were attending high school," Rin said as she glanced out the window. She noticed waves of students attempting to run each other over as they struggled to get to class on time. "Although, I don't think we were as boisterous as they are."

Shirou closed his eyes and smiled, remembering those peaceful days before he was failing at simple magecraft like Reinforcement. Those two weeks of the Grail War made him learn more than his time with Kiritsugu. Now, with the help of Rin, the Wizard Marshall, and a Shinso vampire, he can have the power he needs to protect.

Rin argued with him about who he could actively protect, to his chagrin. She didn't need him committing suicide for the neighbor down the street, figuratively speaking. His role as a security guard made this issue more paramount, since Shirou was going to patrol the whole campus.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. While Shirou and Rin expected a middle-aged man, three students walked in, two girls and a boy. One girl was Konoka Konoe, the Dean's granddaughter. She had long black hair that reached her waist, and she wore the school uniform. The other girl, Asuna Kagurazaka, had her hair done in pigtails with ribbons that had bells attached. From the way they sounded, she seemed rather upset. Unlike the Konoka heiress, she wore a tracksuit. She must've gotten in an accident to be this angry.

The two magi were glad that they had memorized the class list that had been given to them before hand.

The boy, however, stood out most to the magi. He was shorter than the others, with reddish hair and small eyeglasses on his nose. His clothes were rather strange as well. Instead of a uniform, he had on a traveling cloak that had the sleeves rolled up. The most interesting part about his appearance wasn't what he was wearing, however, but his luggage. A long object covered in bandages was on his back.

Perhaps this student wasn't actually a student after all. But he couldn't be the teacher...right?

"Ah, if it isn't Asuna-chan, how are you?" The Dean spoke. "What are you doing here with Konoka? Isn't it almost time for class?"

The pig-tailed girl crossed her arms and huffed. "Principal-sensei, what is the meaning of this? Why is this brat a teacher?" It seems that their suspicions were correct.

"Negi Springfield, correct?" The Dean stroked his goatee, ignoring Asuna's words. "It seems that your training has brought you here to Japan as a teacher, but are you up for it?"

The teacher's voice was accented, but he responded. "Yes, I believe I can do this." He seemed rather timid. Maybe he was younger than they thought he was.

Meanwhile the two students were confused at the Dean's choice of words. Training?

"You must gain some practical experience first. Let's make it from today to March...By the way, Negi-kun, do you have a girlfriend yet? What do you think of Konoka here? She's my granddaughter," The Dean was interrupted by Konoka's sudden act of hitting him with a rubber hammer.

"Wait a second!" Asuna yelled again. She was rather loud. "Isn't it odd that a kid has a job of being a teacher? And our homeroom teacher, too!"

The Dean didn't respond to any of Asuna's comments. "Hmm, I guess it's settled then. Let's begin today. Let me introduce some of our staff that you'll be working or seeing around campus. Shizuna-kun!"

"Yes!" A blonde woman walked in. Shizuna Minamoto was a beauty, that much was obvious to everyone. Due to her...assets, Rin was a bit hostile to her, but Shizuna's kind disposition made it hard for the Tohsaka heiress to stay angry at her. Indeed, she was a very caring person.

The Dean finally motioned toward the two magi sitting in the room, who stood up to be introduced. "Here we have Rin Tohsaka, who will be your assistant teacher. She is new as well, so this will be a learning experience for the two of you."

She gave a small bow. "Nice to meet you, Sensei, let's work well together. Even at your young age, I'm sure you will do well." Shirou could tell that Rin's personality shifted back to the persona she had adopted during her years at Homurahara. Rin Tohsaka, the honor student, was back for everyone to see.

"A-ah, thank you. Please lead me well, Tohsaka-sensei," Negi responded. He was latching onto every word she said like a lost lamb.

Shirou bowed as well. "Hello there, I'm Shirou Emiya. I'll be all around campus, so you won't be seeing me too much. Still, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Emiya-san."

The Dean gestured towards Shizuna. "Here we have our Staff Guidance Officer, Shizuna-sensei. If there's anything you don't understand, you should ask her." As she walked in, Negi turned to greet her, only to bump into her chest. He seemed a little shocked, as if she reminded him of someone.

"Nice to meet you, Negi-sensei," Shizuna said, not minding the accident. "Please ask me any questions that you may have, I may be able to help."

"With that being said," The Dean continued. "Konoka, Asuna-chan, can Negi-kun stay in your room for a while? We haven't decided where he's going to stay yet at the moment."

Rin and Shirou weren't surprised at this. Evangeline would've gotten angry if a Springfield showed up at her door, a younger one, no less. From the small talks they had with her about her past, they learned that Nagi Springfield was someone that she loathed. Even then, they thought that the Dean would've prepared something at least.

Asuna was rather shocked. Even after all her outbursts, the Dean basically ignored her and shoved a ten year-old brat into her hands. Well, Konoka's, too. Still, the fact of the matter was that she hated kids.

It seemed that Konoka was the only one who seemed to approve. "Sounds good!"

"What?! From when, until when, Principal-sensei?!" Asuna panicked, not wanting this setup at all.

Konoka tried to assuage her by appealing to her motherly instincts. "Don't you feel sorry for him?" Negi, meanwhile, looked a little lost.

"I told you, I hate kids!" Well, if Asuna did have motherly instincts, she was doing a good job of suppressing them.

"You two get along now," The Dean ordered, waving his pointer finger at them. "It is almost time for classes, so Tohsaka-sensei, please accompany Shizuna-sensei with the others to the classroom. Emiya-kun, please stay behind."

Before Rin left Shirou's side, he whispered to her, in a voice that even the Dean had trouble hearing. "Stay safe."

She responded with a whisper of her own. "Same to you." The exchange happened in about a second, but Negi was the only one who noticed the interaction.

Bidding the Dean a good day, the students and staff exited, leaving Shirou and the Dean in the office alone.

* * *

"So Shirou, for your job as a security guard, you will need a weapon, but not one that's lethal. Hohoho!" The Dean chortled. "Do you have any preferences?"

Shirou shook his head. "It is alright. I think I have something that will suffice." The magus closed his eyes and breathed, activating his Circuits. A shinai materialized in his hands, made of bamboo with a simple grip. In fact, it was simply that, a bamboo sword used in kendo matches. The only difference was a strap on the top of the grip with a tiger figurine attached to it.

The Dean looked on, his eyes opening. "Well, that seems like a pretty nasty shinai right there. Do you mind if I ask who used this?" He could feel chills down his back as the sword exuded an aura of bloodthirst.

Shirou swung it a couple of times. "This sword was used by my homeroom teacher. She's actually a black belt in kendo, but she isn't well known because she was disqualified from tournaments. If she hadn't used the tiger strap, she would probably be world-class. I think there was a passing joke that this shinai is 'a demonic sword that will not rest until it tastes blood,' but some say that it is true. Who knows?" He thought that the rumor was simply that - a rumor. There's no way a modern-day bamboo kendo sword would be possessed.

The old man sat there, nonplussed by Shirou's lack of awareness. "Well, let me call your superior for today. If you do well, she may be your permanent boss for a while, beside me that is. Let me call her up."

Soon enough, a woman clad in a white dress suit and a black miniskirt walked in, holding a sheathed sword by her side.

"Hello there, it seems that you're our newest recruit. I hope you can keep up. My name is Touko Kuzunoha."

* * *

Takane D. Goodman was a good student. Well, she liked to think so. Today, she was just a little late for school, but then she saw something alarming. She also thought that she was very honorable, so when she saw a white-haired, dark-skinned man in a suit holding a shinai, was she wrong to think that he was a delinquent? Perhaps she was, but she couldn't back down now, her honor was at stake!

"I challenge you, delinquent, for you are dirtying this beautiful campus!" She yelled out, catching the man's attention.

"Huh, me?" The man was obviously faking his confusion. He knew that he was a delinquent, and she was gonna beat it out of him.

* * *

When Shirou was assigned a job as a security guard, handed a suit as a uniform, and told to patrol the St. Ursula Girls' school, he expected to be fine on his own. In his superior's words, today would be a trial to see if he would be a good addition to the task force around campus. After a quick orientation and memorization of the landscape, Shirou was sent on his way. The school, indeed, had a beautiful aesthetic, combined with the architecture and the World Tree. Paired with the large campus size, it was no surprise that Mahora could be referred to as a city of its own. However, something appeared to be...off.

"What is up with everybody?" Shirou wondered. The few people that Shirou had encountered had immediately scampered off, leaving the new employee questioning their actions. Little did he know that his shinai was emitting such a bloodthirst that scared people. Who knew that rumors could become reality when enough people believe in it?

Although he expected to stop delinquents that decided to hang around a girls' school campus, Shirou did not expect to be stopped by a student himself. She was a blonde with long hair, wearing the St. Ursula uniform. She looked like a nun, but the uniform was repurposed for modern style. Shirou could swear that something was wrong with the blondes in this place. First, he had multiple altercations with a blonde vampire, and now this student? He even heard a passing rumor about a blonde shotacon as he left the building.

He was glad that no one was nearby when she released her magic. Weren't mages supposed to be discreet? Soon enough, she spoke to him.

"I challenge you, delinquent, for you are dirtying this beautiful campus!" She pointed at him.

"Huh, me?" Shirou still didn't understand what was occurring before him. Maybe it was part of his test as a security guard? Shirou began to think that he was supposed to best her in battle with non-lethal attacks. The best course of action was to incapacitate her as quickly as possible, so Shirou readied the Tora-Shinai and vanished using Shundou, his circuits glowing under his clothes from Reinforcement. He swung from behind, aiming to knock her out, but she read his movements.

With a battlecry the blonde activated a spell, "Nocturna Nigredinis!" If she hadn't cast a spell, she would be on the ground right now, but her spell summoned a familiar with a white mask clothed in black, flowing with shadows. The girl's clothing also changed to reflect the type of magic she used.

"With my shadow familiar, you can't get anywhere close to me!" She said. "Now dodge this!" The student swung her arm, the familiar mimicking her movements. Shirou jumped and rolled to dodge the strikes from the tendrils of darkness that threatened to hit him. Every time Shirou tried to swing at her, the familiar defended his attack without flinching.

"So it is a passive defense," Shirou muttered. He would have to hurry because the battle was getting out of hand. There were cracks on the ground and walls from the strikes made by the female mage. People could be endangered if this kept up. Shirou forced more prana and moved faster, but the shadow construct blocked every attack. A stray tendril wrapped onto Shirou's leg, throwing him facefirst onto the ground. As she prepared for a finishing attack, suddenly, she looked up, surprised at something. Shirou turned his head to see his superior, Touko Kuzunoha, looking quite furious. If it was at Shirou or the student, he didn't know.

"I bet Rin is having an easier time than I am..." Shirou thought as he eventually got on his feet and dusted himself off, preparing himself for his second encounter with the second-in-command of all of Mahora.

* * *

"I bet Shirou is having an easier time than I am..." Rin thought with a sigh. Negi-sensei was currently being mobbed by the class of 2A, asking questions that ranged from "How old are you?" to "Can we really have a cute kid like him?!" It was to be expected, as a ten year-old teacher wasn't an everyday occurence, but it was getting out of hand. A fight was about to be broken out as well, with the class president and Asuna Kagurazaka, the girl who absolutely hated brats. Shizuna-sensei was able to break up the fight, but then they noticed her.

Rin swore that their eyes lit up when Shizuna told them that she was twenty years old.

* * *

The room was dark, with a single lit candle set on a table. On one side sat a blonde girl, a green-haired maid standing behind and to the left of her. The other side had a figure obscured by the dim light.

"So, why are you here?" The girl finally asked. "You usually don't come out of your hiding spot unless it's absolutely important."

The figure chuckled, a rather deep voice boomed from him. "Your plan is still set, is it not? I'd like to...take part in it myself. I've heard of the new arrivals to the campus, and I'm quite interested."

"Oh? Keep talking. I'll set aside my hatred for you if you really can help me out." Evangeline began to smirk.

"Alright...Kitty."

"Don't call me that!"

* * *

 **Well, this will be the last update for a while. I hope to see you next time!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Fate/stay night and Negima! not mine. I only own the plot, or what little plot there is.**

* * *

"One Tonkatsu, two Specials, one Ramen!" A lady yelled at the counter. She wore an apron and had a pen in one ear, and a pencil in her hand, jotting down orders on a notepad. There were students waiting in line to order their meals, but there seemed to be a different feel to the cafeteria, as if someone new had come in...

"Coming up!" Shirou replied, checking on the pork cutlet that was in the deep fryer. He sighed a little.

"From one female boss to another," he whispered. It wasn't that he had anything against, but as he looked back in his life, he realized just how many female role models he had: Rin, Saber, Sakura, and maybe even Taiga-nee, if he squinted his eyes enough.

As one could tell, Shirou wasn't with the security force of Mahora. In fact, Kuzunoha-san was irate that Shirou had fought with another student. The Dean, slightly ashamed of his own mistake, sent him to the cafeteria instead, when he discovered Shirou's cooking.

"I think you will like this job better, Shirou-kun," He said with a glint in his eye.

The lady at the counter switched places with another worker, moving to help Shirou. "Why did I ever listen to that Yukihira?" She muttered soft curses as she took the pork from Shirou and began slicing it up with quick strokes of the knife. Shirou turned to the pots, where another chef slammed a tray of ramen next to him, but no liquid spilled, fortunately.

"Ramen up," The man growled out. Shirou quickly took the tray and took it out to the counter, where a student was waiting for their lunch.

"Newbie, get those specials!" His boss called out, handing the tonkatsu to a different student.

"Yes boss!" Shirou took out a pan and took out the salmon that was ready for plating. He methodically poured the cream sauce over the fish and crumbled some parsley over the entree. After getting some rice into a bowl he put the food tray onto the counter and continued with the second one.

"Newbie, you're doing well for a last minute recruit! You sure you haven't worked in a restaurant before?" She washed her hands at the sink before grabbing an Udon from the other chef.

"No, I just started from a young age," He replied, wiping his brow with a towel. "To be honest, it's my first time cooking like this. I usually just cook for my family." Shirou's arms glowed softly, signs of his Magecraft at work, however, the others didn't notice it.

The female chef took a spoon and tried the sauce for the fish, moaning in delight. "Well, you're doing something right, even with no experience as a formal cook. I can't believe you got this sauce down in a matter of hours!"

The other male chef, still watching the soups and noodles, grunted in approval.

Shirou was a bit hesitant at first, but these eccentric people seemed to know what they were doing. Besides, the name Alice Nakiri did seem familiar. Perhaps it was from something that he had read from a magazine.

"Oi, Shirou, what are you doing here?" A familiar voice rang out. It was Rin, and next to her was the child-teacher that they had met a couple of hours before, Negi Springfield. "I thought you were with that security group."

Shirou laughed half-heartedly. "They deemed me too...unstable. Luckily, the kitchen staff needed some help."

"The old man just forced you onto us! Good job though!" Alice yelled out, mincing some vegetables for a stirfry.

Rin shook her head with a small smile. "Well, I wouldn't say that this job wasn't something that I didn't expect from you. Negi-sensei, how about trying some Japanese food? I can vouch for Shirou-kun's ability."

The boy's face shone with excitement. "Really? I wonder if it's as good as a professional chef? I'll have a Special then. I'm craving some salmon."

Shirou moved towards the kitchen again, placing two salmon fillets in pans. His boss muttered again. "I wonder why not many people have recognized me."

"Nakiri-san, are you a famous chef or something?" Shirou asked the question without thinking.

The male chef began to growl again, more threatening than before.

"Ryo, it's okay," She shook her head. "Let's talk about this later, if you're still interested. It's still lunch hour."

* * *

"Oh? So this is why our restaurant was having less customers today," A female student with hair buns showed up with another classmate with hair styled in pigtails. While the first one had a smirk on her face, the other student was calm, reminding him of Saber's stoic stance.

Shirou looked up, seeing the new customers. "You own a restaurant?" He had been cooped up in the kitchen all day for food preparation and cooking, so he had little opportunity to explore the school during the day.

"Yes, it's the Chao Bao Zi, a mobile Chinese restaurant. I'm Chao Lingshen, and this is one of my faithful workers, Satsuki Yotsuba," The cook bowed slightly, not saying a word.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shirou Emiya," He bowed back. "What would you like to have today?"

Chao looked at the menu, deep in thought about the food, when Satsuki tapped her shoulder. Shirou noticed the fire that had risen in her eyes, and he could already tell what she wanted.

"How about one of everything? It seems that Yotsuba-san is eager to try the new food," Shirou wrote down the orders.

Chao shook her head, arms grasping her stomach while holding in laughter. "I-I guess that'll do, let's go find a seat Satsuki."

She stood there, unmoving, eyes focused on the professional chefs in the school kitchen. Chao stood there, blinking uncertainly. "Ok...I'll just head on over to where Negi-sensei and Tohsaka-sensei are sitting. Oh wait, is that Alice Nakiri and Ryo Kurokiba? What are they doing working in a school kitchen like this?"

Suddenly, an outburst rang through the cafeteria.

"IT'S SO GOOD!" A pair of glasses flew up in the air, before shattering on the ground.

"Oh no!"

It seemed that Negi enjoyed his fish a bit too much.

* * *

"Emiya-san? What are you doing here?" It was Konoka, with Asuna right behind her. "I thought you were part of the security group."

Shirou laughed a little. "Some complications occurred. Needless to say, I'm working in the kitchens now, but I like this job better than security details."

"Well, the teachers seem to be enjoying your food, so it might be better than the cafeteria before," Asuna shuddered at the memory.

Negi was still eating his food without his glasses on, and Rin was passing him napkins to wipe his face with.

"Well, I think we're all doing well for the first day. My boss and coworkers are fairly new as well." Shirou motioned to Alice and Ryo.

"Not at cooking though!" Alice shot back. "Less chatting more chopping!"

"Two ramen and two udon up, Ojou!" Ryo yelled out.

Shirou turned back to the duo. "Well, I'll be right back, make sure you know what you want before you order, it's been pretty hectic here."

* * *

"I knew I should've went to the convenience store yesterday," Chisame grumbled as she walked in the cafeteria. There were so many people in here today, and that almost unnerved her. What kind of freaks came in and changed everything? Despite the subpar food, it was one of the few places where she could sit in general peace and quiet as she separated herself from the Class of 2A. Now it was overrun by barbaric children! Chisame noticed a group of people sitting together. It was the new teachers and some of the students from 2A.

Negi-sensei was a bit off to her. Not only did he make Kagurazaka yell louder (which annoyed her more than usual), but he was only ten years old, not even in middle school yet. His high intellect also stumped her, as she was used to thinking that she was the only sane one in the class, save for a select few.

Tohsaka-sensei was also very different than what she expected. At first, Chisame thought that she was the new teacher since she exuded an aura that screamed professional. However, it turned out that she was only the assistant teacher. It didn't help that her classmates had rushed her with questions immediately after bombarding the child teacher with other questions. It would take some time before Chisame would judge her for who she was.

At the same table were Chao Lingshen, Satsuki Yotsuba, Kagurazaka Asuna, and Konoka Konoe. She knew them by name, and that was about as much as she wanted to know about them. Chisame had her own interests, and it wasn't getting to know her classmates. With that in mind, she kept walking, avoiding contact with the others. Eventually, she reached the counter, looking at the menu. It was better than mystery meats and watery soups, and the smells were amazing.

"Hello, what would you like to order?" A man stood in front of her, notepad and pen ready. His hair was faded red with streaks of white and a chiseled face. He looked rather young, maybe even the same age as Tohsaka-sensei. Chisame stopped for a moment and stared. Maybe some hair dye would work, then a suit and tie…

"Excuse me?" Chisame abruptly stopped her train of thought. It wasn't time for her cosplay mind to go wandering.

"A-a-ah, I'll have beef gyoza to-go please!" She stammered out, blushing a little. It wasn't her fault that the man in front of her was a bit good-looking - that sort of innate physique was perfect for cosplay!

The man, whose name tag read Emiya, wrote down the order and pass the slip of paper to a women, whose tag read Nakiri. Where had she seen that name?

The female chef moved quickly, preparing some gyoza that was already on a frying pan, moving them into a styrofoam take out box, and pouring out some soy sauce on the side in a small plastic cup. From what Chisame could see, the quality of the food went up almost tenfold, the aroma of the beef making her mouth water. Nakiri was also very beautiful, she realized. She was also a potential cosplayer right there…

"Ryo, take this to that girl in the glasses over there, I need to take the tonkatsu out," Nakiri said as she placed the tray into his hands.

The growl that Chisame heard sent chills down her back. However, it seemed that she was the only one frightened by it, as no one else reacted. The man, whose tag read, Kurokiba, wordlessly placed the styrofoam box in a plastic bag quickly and shoved it at her.

"A-a-ah, thank you," She took the bag and quickly left after seeing the look in his eyes. It was like a demon.

She was right; freaks had come to Mahora Academy. Chisame took one of the gyoza and took a bite.

She moaned in delight. The freaks did well.

* * *

"Ah, Evangeline, I was wondering where you were," Shirou said as the short blonde walked up to the counter, Chachamaru following from behind. She had a grin that she wasn't able to hide, with good reason. After all, she had another opportunity to eat Shirou's cooking.

"Emiya, give me the usual. All of it," Evangeline said as she motioned to the kitchen.

"Newbie, what does she mean by the usual?" Nakiri asked, wiping her hands on a towel.

As Shirou whispered the contents of Evangeline's desired dish, Nakiri's eyes lit up.

"I'm so glad we're getting paid by the number of dishes we make! Let's do this! Ryo, fire up the wok for a stir fry!" Nakiri yelled out as she prepared the chop some vegetables.

Evangeline's brows furrowed. She wanted Shirou to cook the food, not some second rate chef who had to work at a school cafeteria. Shirou was the one who had cooked all the wonderful food here, right?

"Evangeline, trust me on this, these two here are as good, if not better, than I am," Shirou reassured her as he put some pork in the deep fryer. "They're working hard to become the best chefs they can be."

Evangeline was just about to argue when she saw the wok burst into flames, the male chef's brow slick with sweat, and the aroma of the sesame oil over the open fire. Instead, she slowly nodded and moved over for the next person in line.

* * *

Shirou laid his upper body over the counter. It was finally over. By now, most of the students had left the building for their afternoon classes. Some teacher stayed behind to try to get the recipes of the new food, but to no avail. All of them were stiff-lipped about it, and Kurokiba's general aura warded off any persistent stragglers. However, as soon as he took of his bandanna, his shoulders relaxed as his posture changed. Instead of a fierce lion, he seemed to be more apathetic, his expression unchanging.

Shirou had volunteered to stay behind and clean up, partly because he had pried too much into his superior's private life, and he found cleaning to be therapeutic to him. Who knew that the two were part of an elite school that specialized in cooking, and that Alice Nakiri was the granddaughter of the former Chairman of the school, and the niece of the new Chairman. She had left the school in a hurry, for she disliked how the school was changing. Part of this journey she's undertaking is for her own growth as well as finding out what she can do with her cooking. Apparently Kurokiba was just following her because that was what he did. (Kurokiba had agreed with a simple nod.)

Shirou sighed. Again, he had almost gotten himself in deep trouble. He did not want to fight with Kurokiba if he had to, even if he just had to take the bandanna off. Placing the dirty rag in the towel hamper, Shirou sat against the cold stove and drank some water. He wondered how Rin was doing again. The Class of 2A didn't seem too bad, and it looked like she got along with the students, from what he saw.

* * *

Rin closed her eyes again, as she was getting annoyed by the antics of the class. While most of the class of 2A had settled down, Asuna Kagurazaka kept disrupting Negi as he tried to teach.

She would take pieces of eraser and sling them at the back of his head with a hair tie. She thought back to his initial entrance. Despite being a hothead, Kagurazaka was the only one who had noticed that Negi had stopped the blackboard eraser from falling at the last moment. After that, she had questioned the boy about the eraser. Then, the Class President stopped her. Rin had thought that it would be over after that, but then the two girls began to fight each other, and the rest of the class only wanted to fan the fire.

The magus opened her eyes. She had enough of Kagurazaka's antics. As she was preparing to fire another piece of eraser, Rin stood up, moving to shuffle some papers on the teacher's desk.

Asuna, intent on firing, let go of the hair tie, only to yelp in surprise when Rin grabbed the eraser mid-flight, preventing another impact.

"Kagurazaka-san," Rin began, unamused by her actions. "If you continue to act out like this, maybe Yukihiro-san's words about you were true, that you are just a violent person."

The whole class, Negi included, turned and stared at the culprit, who began to sweat and stammer. She wasn't the first to have been subject to the Tohsaka stare.

"I-I-I'm sorry Tohsaka-sensei! It wasn't m-m-my intention to disrupt the class."

The whole class was quiet after that. No one else wanted to be scolded by Rin.

Eventually, the class came to an end, and Rin left the classroom after bidding the class and the teacher farewell. As she left, she could hear Kagurazaka again, swooning over a Takahata-sensei…

Oh?

* * *

Rin sat a cafe, sipping on a cup of green tea. It was a long day, but she got to learn a lot about the campus, and who she would be interacting with for quite a while, if circumstances were forgiving. However, she wouldn't become too attached to them. Who knows when Zelretch would decide to toss them somewhere else? She figured that she would just have to try to make this as exciting as possible.

A beep sounded, and Rin took out a device that looked like a phone. In fact, it was a cellular phone that Evangeline had given to her. However, it was special, according to the vampire. Satomi Hakase, a student of 2A, and arguably one of the most intellectual students on campus, had made this to be more advanced than typical phones of the era.

It took all of Rin's concentration to remember that, and she couldn't remember the rest of the technical jargon that the student had to say about it. Basically, it would benefit Rin and Shirou and allow them to communicate even in extreme circumstances. She remembered that Evangeline had emphasized "extreme."

Anyways, Rin took a look at her phone. It was a message from Shirou.

 _boms : Hey, what do you want for dinner? I'm at the grocery store with Chachamaru._

She thought for a moment, and slowly replied back, typing out her message.

 _rtjc : Something with chicken, please. I'll see you at home in a bit._

Home. It was a rather weird word to them at this point in time. However, the vampire and her servant did their best to make them feel welcome, even though Evangeline didn't like to show it. In some ways she reminded Rin of herself.

The sun glinted off of her screen, and Rin looked up. She saw one of the students, Nodoka Miyazaki, or as her classmates called her, Honya-chan, carrying a stack of books down the stairwell. One misstep and she would fall to the ground, breaking her neck at the bottom. Rin stood up to help her when Nodoka slipped over the side, books flying in the air.

Rin began to run to her, when she saw someone to the side, holding out a long object. It was Negi-sensei!.

With silent words the wrappings around the object unfurled, revealing a wooden staff covered by it. Miyazaki slowed to a standstill, and Negi ran over and put his arms around her before landing on the ground.

Rin paused. She was glad that her student was safe, but what if someone noticed the obvious use of magic? The long wooden staff was not exactly subtle, to say the least.

"Hey, what was that?" It was Asuna, running up to the two. Luckily for Negi, Nodoka had fainted, but now he had to deal with Asuna's wrath.

Rin turned and walked away, not wanting to deal with Asuna at the moment. Negi would have to explain to Asuna about magic by himself.

* * *

 **Well I wasn't in time for Christmas 0_o. At least I got it before the New Year. If I can find the time guys, I'll have another chapter before January 10th. If not, don't worry. I will not leave this to die!  
Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them.  
Till next time~**


End file.
